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Claude Code Patterns

Claude Code has become the most-used AI coding tool for complex development tasks. Its terminal-native, agent-first approach enables workflows that IDE-based tools can't match — but getting the most out of it requires intentional configuration. This pillar page collects production-tested patterns from my daily use.

Hooks: Deterministic Automation​

Claude Code Hooks are the foundation of a mature Claude Code workflow. They fire at specific lifecycle events and are executed by the harness, not by Claude — meaning they always run.

Essential hook patterns:

  • Auto-format after edits — Prettier, Black, or gofmt runs automatically on every file Claude touches
  • File protection — Block edits to .env, secrets.yml, and other sensitive files
  • Quality gates — Run tests and type checking before Claude stops working
  • Desktop notifications — Get alerted when Claude needs input
  • Context re-injection — Restore critical context after conversation compaction
  • Auto-approval — Skip permission prompts for safe, read-only operations
  • Environment management — Sync environment variables with direnv

See the complete hooks guide for configuration syntax and working examples.

CLAUDE.md: Project Context​

CLAUDE.md is how you give Claude permanent context about your project. Unlike conversation messages that eventually get compacted, CLAUDE.md is loaded at the start of every session.

What to include:

  • Build and test commands (yarn build, yarn test, yarn typecheck)
  • Architecture overview (tech stack, key files, content structure)
  • Project conventions (naming, file organization, coding patterns)
  • SEO or content-specific guidelines

What NOT to include:

  • Information that changes frequently (use hooks or conversation for that)
  • Overly detailed instructions (Claude works better with constraints than scripts)
  • Security secrets (CLAUDE.md is committed to git)

The Claude Code Template provides a production-ready CLAUDE.md structure along with devcontainer support, custom commands, and analytics integration.

Team Configuration​

Claude Code supports three configuration scopes, each serving a different purpose:

ScopeFileShared?Use For
Project.claude/settings.jsonYes (git)Team rules: formatting, file protection, quality gates
Local.claude/settings.local.jsonNo (gitignored)Personal prefs: notifications, auto-approvals
Global~/.claude/settings.jsonNoCross-project personal config

Production team recommendation:

  1. Commit .claude/settings.json with shared hooks (formatting, file protection)
  2. Commit CLAUDE.md with project context and conventions
  3. Let developers customize .claude/settings.local.json for personal preferences
  4. Document the setup in your project README

MCP Server Integration​

Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers extend Claude Code with external tool access — databases, APIs, documentation systems, and more. The hooks system can gate MCP tool usage for security.

Analytics Integration​

PromptConduit integrates with Claude Code via hooks to capture every prompt, tool invocation, and response. This enables:

  • Usage pattern analysis across projects and team members
  • Session replay for understanding how AI assistance flows
  • Cost tracking per session, project, and developer
  • Productivity measurement through the measurement framework

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